


Of Boomboxes And Balconies

by SGSS



Category: Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984), Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 80s, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Homophobia, Hunay, Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Fluff, Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, M/M, don't mind the Major Character Death, it's more a joke than anything, klance, obab, obab hell, shallura - Freeform, voltron 80s AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 18:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10882488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SGSS/pseuds/SGSS
Summary: Keith had some ups and downs in his life, but this summer is supposed to be perfect.It's summer 1986, and a new chapter of his life starts with a bird in some unfamiliar underwear.





	Of Boomboxes And Balconies

Of car drives and new homes

 

„Keith! For the last time, stop playing with the car radio! If I hear it buzzing once more, you can walk the rest!“  
Grumbling, Keith pulled his hand back. They've been on the road for eight hours straight now and still hadn't reached the border of New Mexico, and Keith was bored.  
It was his own decision to move in with Shiro, and, even if it was a quick one, he doesn't regret leaving. Even though he was already missing the thick air, the smell of hay and dry wood, the parks and places full of childhood memories.  
He rested his head against the window and closed his eyes, feeling the car engine's vibrations. What would the new town be like?  
Bellport, Colorado – probably full of neon lights, bad music and the smell of cigarettes and gas.  
His new school would probably be as crowded, as loud and terrible as the one in Carizzo Springs.

Carizzo Springs. The place he used to call home.  
His train of thoughts made him think about Shiro's house.  
Does he have a garden?  
Would they have one or two bathrooms?  
What colour would the roof have?  
He forgot the empty desert behind the glass for a second and imagined Shiros- no, their home.  
A small garden, a beautiful red roof and the bathroom sink sprinkled with his brother's shaved stubbles.

His fantasies got interrupted when he heard an attention-seeking cough by said brother.  
Keith raised an eyebrow, eyes still closed.  
„Hey, Keith?“  
„Hmm?“  
„Wanna play a game?“  
Keith lazily turned his head into Shiro's direction, not changing his slouched position,  
„...again? Which one?“  
„Let me see.. I spy..something green.“  
Keith warned. „Shiro, that wasn't funny the first three times you said that and it's not gonna be funny now.“  
His older brother smirked. „So what, can't find it?“  
„..Another cactus, bro. Now let me sleep. We still gotta..“ he checked the small dashboard clock, „drive for like eleven hours.“ He placed the map on top of all the junk on the backseat with a simple movement of his hand.  
Shiro nodded. „Alright Keith, got it. Not gonna disturb you.“  
„No, c'mon, don't give me that look! Look, Thank you for letting me live with you, for picking me up and stuff, I said it, okay?“  
His brother didn't answer, his gaze glued onto the road with almost played concentration, but Keith's shoulders lost a bit of tension when Shiro smiled and snipped his fingers against his little brother's forehead, showing him that he wasn't actually mad.  
„Goddamnit, I'm gonna sleep for real.“, he insisted, turning around so he was facing the windows again.

  
And Keith slept. The last days were exhausting, he had barely slept at all. This week was so exhausting that he slept during the entire car ride. He didn't notice Shiro stopping at gas stations every now and then and didn't notice him turning off his minivan to get some rest himself.

  
It was the sound of a closing car door that was waking Keith.  
He blinked twice, trying to get used to the light which was shining brightly through all the car's windows. He looked through these and narrowed his eyes when mentioned light got reflected by the many bright walls.  
Walls?  
They weren't driving anymore, Keith couldn't feel the soft engine's vibrations, couldn't hear the strange noises the radio had made. He heard children's laughter and barking dogs, could smell the hot asphalt and wood, and freshly baked cakes. He saw yellow grass, just like he had in Carrizo Springs, saw the pastel-coloured roofs, the cloudless sky and the empty seat next to him. Shiro wasn't there.  
He automatically grabbed seatbelt and door, his mind still a bit dizzy from all the new sensations. He opened the van's door and left the car, looking for his brother. Why didn't he wake him up? His mood would have dropped if it wasn't for these new, interesting surroundings.  
One thing did make his mood drop, just a little; the many shoes in front of the door the van parked close by. Boy, those were many shoes. Many different shoes. Many different shoes meant many different feet, and many little feet meant many children.  
Keith sighed again, already imagining many sleepless nights because of screaming or crying kids next door. But he was trying to stay positive. This was going to be a new chapter of his life, and he sure as hell wouldn't let it get ruined by a few crying babies. Besides, maybe these kids weren't that bad. His lips formed a small smile as he thought about how this was going to be his new life.  
Although moving in with Shiro was more of an ..emergency solution, he still was glad that things turned out this way. His smile was growing bigger when he thought about his brother. He hasn't seen him for a long time.  
Keith's train of thought got interrupted when he heard footsteps approaching.  
Shiro was standing behind his van and was about to carry a heavy-looking backpack to the front door, which Keith realized had to be Shiro's. He moved to the car's trunk and grabbed the backpack, pulling it onto his shoulders.  
„Could've woken me up, y'know?“ The younger one mumbled. „Would've helped ya, bro.“  
Shiro answered with a soft smile. „'S fine, Champ, you've done enough already. It's the least I can do.“  
„I'm movin' in with you right now, this sure ain't the least you can do.“  
„Let's see what the future'll bring eh?“  
Keith shrugged and was about to open the front door when he heard keys scraping against the inside of Shiro's prosthetic hand. „Oh, right, ya probably wanna take a step back, buddy.“  
„Why should I-“ His question got interrupted by something big and dark, which was barely missing his upper body. The sound of heavy breathing and Shiro's laughter filled the air- or at least the area around his legs.  
„Yes, I'm back, girl, yes! 's fine Black, who's my good girl?“  
Keith looked down to the tangled mess that were his brother and..  
Keith narrowed his eyes.  
A dog. A big, black dog, happily licking and barking all over Shiro's face.  
„You are!“  
The dog - Black – let out a loving noise and let Shiro sit up.  
„I missed ya too girl, but look, I've brought someone with me! Go and say hello!“ The male told his dog, who looked clearly happy to see her owner again.  
Keith swallowed. He didn't know Shiro had a dog. And such a big one? He always thought that he had been more of a cat person, but he wasn't against petting a small dog once or twice. He was rather scared when it came to big dogs. That was more or less the reason why Keith let out a quiet, high-pitched scream (one he would deny later) when Black tackled him, her big paws resting on his shoulders and her tongue laving excitedly across his face.  
His knees gave up and he dropped onto the driveway with Black on top of him, looking at him expectantly. Keith looked up and gently started stroking Black behind her ears. He earned another gentle lick across his face for that, which made him chuckle a little.  
„Shiro!“  
Keith turned his head to see, who was calling his brother. A young woman was standing in the wooden door frame and reached out for Shiro's hand, helping him to get up. Black apparently lost interest and ambled next to her beloved owner. While Keith was sitting up as well, he was noticing a smaller- no, a really small dog, ignoring Shiro and strutting over to him.  
„That's Sir Tequila, Keith. Sir Tequila the 3rd.“ Keith stared down at the small ball of fur. Yeah, that was more his size of dog. „Tequila, huh?“ he smirked and was about to reach out for the small creature, when said dog stared at him, sneezed, and turned around, walking back to the woman next to Shiro.  
„No, Keith, it's Sir Tequila. He gets kind of, uhm, let's say pissy when you forget his title.“ Shiro smiled apologetically.  
Keith wrinkled his nose, disposing the dog's snot on his joggers. He barely saw how Shiro let go of that woman. He threw a confused gaze at his brother, but before he could explain something, Mrs. Mystery started talking.  
„Hey there, you have to be Keith! Shiro has told me so much about you.“ She smiled brightly, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. „The name is Allura! It's so nice to meet you!“  
She was absolutely beautiful with her long, curly bright grey - almost white - hair, bright blue eyes were even more emphasized by her dark skin, faint freckles and and a radiant smile. She looked like a model on the front cover on one of these biker magazines. His brother stood behind her, his right, prosthetic arm wrapped around her waist. Keith didn't need to look twice to see that they were a couple. He just asked himself why he didn't know any of that.  
„The pleasure is, er, all mine!“  
„I'm glad to hear that. Why don't we go inside?“ Allura suggested.  
„Yeah, please. I've only slept for two hours and I think I wouldn't mind a shower.“ His brother added.  
Keith nodded. He was actually very excited to see the house.  
Before he could go on thinking, three of them (Allura, Sir Tequila and Shiro) were already making their way inside the pastel yellow building.  
"I've made some some food for you guys, I'd be starving if I drove three days straight!" she yelled from out of the kitchen, her voice mixed with the sound of plates crashing against each other. Shiro smiled, telling her that they had already eaten something on the way while Keith was petting Black between her ears. "Hm, Black? looks like we're gonna spend a lot of time together."  
Black was nudging her head against his hip, almost as if she was understanding how nervous he was. He looked down, examining her dark fur.  
He smirked. Maybe these dogs weren't so bad. Black waited for him to enter the house, but Keith turned around at the sudden sound of a camera. A tiny girl with a big, polaroid, a big sweater and a big grin stood next to the car. Her hair was long, her glasses looked like she didn't need them and her thin legs were covered in wide dungarees.  
Keith stared at her, confused, but she simply smirked while pulling the photo out of her device. When she made her way down the street, Keith noticed that she was headed towards the house with the many shoes.  
Sighing for the probably 10th time today, Keith shook his head and entered his new home, Black behind him. She walked past him and disappeared behind a corner. He could her claws tipple over the wooden floor. Uncertain, he looked down at the cowskin in front of his feet and closed the door. He heard a „Take off your shoes!“ coming from Shiro. Keith did as he was told, placing his chucks next to his brother's and Alluras footwear.  
His white socks shuffled over the rug towards the big kitchen where said persons were clearing the table.  
„Keith, if you want to, you can already go upstairs and check out your room!“ Allura smiled at him while her boyfriend passed her the dishes so that she could put them into the wall unit of the spruce wood kitchen.  
„The first room is yours, I already packed all of the stuff into boxes and put them into the hallway. After such a long drive, I thought you'd be dead tired. I mean, there's no bed in your room yet, but -“  
„Wait, what's that supposed to mean?“ Shiro interrupted her, „You lifted that heavy stuff all by yourself?“  
She rolled her eyes. „Don't worry, I just moved the small stuff. Shay and her brother came around yesterday to help me with the big deal.“  
Confused, Keith looked around. „Uhm, not gonna interrupt, but.. where can I put down my bag..?“ He bit his lip.  
„Everywhere.“ Shiro smiled at him, still a bit surprised by Alluras eagerness. „It's your home now, you don't have to ask small stuff like that.“  
The younger brother nodded. „I'll be upstairs, then.. thanks, Shiro.“ A wave of insecurities overcame him. What if he was just a burden for them? It was just a small house, Allura would've probably moved in if it wasn't for him. Had his new room been Alluras? He shook his head and made his way towards the corkscrew stairs in the corner while looking at his new living room. A big couch in front of a tiny TV, the antennas curved and bandy. Black and Sir Tequila were cuddling on the sofa. What got his interest was the dark piano next to the stairs. He was tempted to sit down and play, but he shrugged off the thought and -finally- made his way upstairs.

„Upstairs“ looked a lot more different than he expected. It was a simple corridor with three doors, the one at the end was open and seemed to lead into the bathroom. The two doors to his left were closed and the wall to his right was covered with boxes full of Shiro's stuff.  
The first door, huh?

He reached for the knob. He could hear Allura and Shiro bantering downstairs. If he'd have heard the worried tune in her voice, he would be more concerned about it. But, well.

His new room was smaller than his old one down in Carizzo Springs. The establishment was pretty simple. There was a table, a dresser and an empty, white shelf. A big, red beanbag leaned against the beige wall. The room was bright, two windows let a lot of light in. It didn't look the slightest like Allura's- whose room had it been?  
„Ah, Keith!“ Shiro appeared behind him, gently pushing him into his room. Keith could barely hear the front door opening and closing again.  
„Sorry about the food, champ. As good as she is in everything, cooking is one talent she doesn't have. I'll be fixing something later, okay?“ Keith nodded and wrinkled his nose. Carpeted floor.  
„'S not the biggest room, I hope things are still okay. This house is the only thing I can afford right now- and it's a beautiful street, the neighbors are nice, close to the mall, what do you want more?“ He grinned slightly.  
Keith looked at his brother. „You don't have to apologise for living here. I should be the one saying sorry for bursting in here out of the blue. Now, who's Allura?“  
His gaze fell onto the brownish-grey carpet again. The rest of the house had hardwood floor- what did he do to deserve this? 'A lot', Keith thought, he wasn't here for no reason. When he looked up, he saw how Shiro's cheeks turned red. „We're, kind of a couple. Sorry I didn't tell ya earlier. Wanted to know if it's something serious before I call you, mom and dad.“ He placed his prosthetic hand on his neck and looked at him apologetically. „But now you know her. I think she likes you.“  
Keith walked towards the Table and placed his backpack on top of the simple chair in front of it. „You sure 'bout that?“ He avoided Shiro's gaze. „Didn't seem too happy about the fact that I'm living here now.“  
„Even if.“ Keith still didn't look at him, but he could clearly imagine how he'd crossed his arms. „You're my brother, Keith. You're number one. Always gonna help you out first.“  
Keith nodded slightly.  
„Thanks.“  
„How do you young people say?“ He heard his brother ask, „Bros before hoes?“  
„..I can't believe you said this. What's 'young people' even supposed to mean? You're like, 22?“  
He shrugged. „Still older than 18.“  
Keith made a small huffing noise and shook his head.  
„Anyway, did you manage to get all the stuff you need?“  
Keith shook his head again, the small smile now washed away. „No, not really. Got the most important stuff tho.“ He mumbled and pulled out an old stuffed bunny, pressing the patched animal against his chest. „Uhm, I don't have that much money, I-“  
He stopped at the sensation of Shiro's hand on his shoulder.  
„And you don't need any. We're gonna go and buy you some clothes on tuesday, until then you can wear my shirts and stuff. Of course you still need a job, though. I bet Coran would give you a spot as a waiter in his diner if you ask him nicely. I also worked there when I just moved here. I guess I gotta pull some all-nighters at work until then, but that's fine. Do our parents know that you're here?“  
Keith bit his lip at the words 'our parents'. Once again he shook his head.  
Shiro placed his other hand on Keith's shoulder. „Okay. I got this.“ He pulled the younger one closer, resting his chin on the other's dark mess of hair.  
„Thank you, Shiro..“ Keith mumbled for the third time today. And a fourth time. And a fifth time.  
He could feel his brother's hand, one cold and hard and one soft and warm. He hasn't seen him in two years, and it still felt so welcoming, so familiar as it did back then. He had missed him so much, he didn't notice how a few tears began to drop from the corners of his eyes. He was just so happy to see him again, even if he had prefered other circumstances.  
Shiro tightened his hug as he noticed how Keith began to shudder.  
„Everything's gonna be alright, champ. No – everything is alright.“  
He hugged him firmly one more time before he let go and smiled calmly. „Unpack your things and make a list with all the stuff you need, okay? I'll be downstairs and fix some food for us. He flicked his fingers against Keith's forehead and made his way down the corkscrews.

And Keith was left alone with his thoughts.

He placed the rabbit on the table and, as shiro told him to do, unpacked his things. It wasn't much, He acted instinctively when.. things happened. A woodcarving knife, his newest project – a half-finished wooden lion, a box full of photos and his purse (where only his IDs were tucked in neatly). Inside of Shiro's car, there was his telescope, folded and ready to be unpacked. It really wasn't much, but it was what Keith was.

He placed the photobox and the unfinished lion into the shelf, the small knife next to it.  
„Funny how my whole life doesn't even fill one piece of a shelf.“ He whispered to himself. But he wasn't going to complain. He'd just fill the shelf with new things, as he had done it before.  
„Yo, Champ! Still got problems with milk?“  
„Yeah!“ He called back and smiled.  
Keith picked up the rabbit and let himself drop into the big, soft beanbag. He slept for so long, he was already tired again. Not tired enough to fall asleep, but just enough for a little snooze.  
He took a deep breath, the sounds coming from the street mixed with the sounds coming from the kitchen made him feel calm and quiet. It was calming.

As a melody added itself to the small noises, Keith opened his eyes again.  
It was a guitar. The melody was improvised, but still calm and clear. It remembered him of the old days, when he was a kid, living next to Shiro down in Carrizo Springs. Those memories had a bitter aftertaste, but he did his best to ignore these as he started so sing. Slowly, quietly.

He didn't know what he was singing. Simply words running around in his mind, thoughts he couldn't quite grip. But he didn't need to know. The soft sounds escaping his lungs lulled him into a mellow, relaxed state.

He looked up at the ceiling and didn't move until the guitar melody found a sudden end. He could make out a confused murmur and a window getting closed.

Keith sighed and stood up, left his stuffed toy behind and made his way downstairs.  
The small dog, Sir Tequila, crossed his way and let out a high-pitched growl. He looked at him, unimpressed, and made his way past him.  
„I thought the small fart over there belonged to Allura?“  
Shiro ignored that sentence.  
Keith scowled. „What kind of dogs are these?“ he asked and sat down at the dining table to look at his older brother while he was cooking.  
„Black's an american Akita Inu. She's my therapy dog. And the Pomeranian is here because.. a lot of reasons. I forgot, actually. He's only here by accident. Just like you, maybe you're gonna become best buds?“  
Keith rolled his eyes and mumbled a quiet „Don't think so.“ while he looked down at the rude ball of fur.  
„Why aren't we going shopping tomorrow?“ he added.

„I told you I'm gonna work for a few extra hours. Hope that's alright with you. I'll go and pick up a bed for you tomorrow, so you don't have to sleep on that old beanbag – unless you want to, that's fine with me.“  
„I just don't wanna cause any trouble.“  
Shiro sighed, turned out the hotplates and pulled two clean plates out of the wall unit. Keith noticed how well he did that with his right, prosthetic hand.  
„Trust me, I can tell the difference between my brother and trouble.“  
He placed a plate in front of Keith with the words „Did you wash your hands?“ which got countered with a raised eyebrow. Shiro grinned. „My roof, my rules.“  
Keith huffed but did as he was told. „Happy?“  
„Very.“  
The older man made sure both of them got a lot of his infamous chili con carne and started eating. Keith did the same.  
And the silence was awkward.  
„So.. do you want to talk about it, Keith?“  
He shook his head and started to poke the chili with his fork. „Maybe later, okay?“  
„Okay.“

 

Shiro had given him a blanket and a warm hug and wished him goodnight. He assured Keith that it was okay for him to be here and that he could stay for how long he wanted. He told him that he isn't a burden and that everything is okay now.

And then he'd left Keith alone.

Keith laid on his side, knees pulled to his chest, just like his rabbit, and the thin blanket over him. He knew Shiro didn't lie. Keith also would have let Shiro live with him without thinking twice. And he'd tell Shiro everything he got told today. He knew it, and he still didn't feel welcome. He had the unpleasant feeling of having forgotten something. He wondered if he actually had the willpower to do all of this again.

He lost his parents again. He had to start all over again.

He could feel his body shivering. Pulling the rabbit closer, he felt tears burning at the corners of his eyes, felt them run down his cheek and soak the red fabric beneath him.

He finally cried, without a big brother hug to comfort him.

The soft guitar melody from next door lulled him to sleep.

He didn't dream that night.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, wellcome to OBAB hell?  
> First thing's first - we're two smol german beans so please be nice if you find something odd like misspelled words, grammar errors or, well, the " " thing -- You have no idea how funny(not funny at all) it is when you realise that while uploading a chapter - so you have to deal with some German Zeichensetzung for now. Yea...  
> Well. I guess that's it for now.  
> Have a nice day!


End file.
